Cr Ian Johnson Midland Guildford Ward | Public figure

Cr Ian Johnson Midland Guildford Ward

Phone: +61 411 097 393

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24.01.2022 If you want to support the Council’s recommendation to refuse Cleanaway’s application to rebuild in South Guildford, please sign the petition

24.01.2022 The State Government is planning to close the railway crossings at Helena Street, Midland, and Robinson Road, Bellevue. The Midland area is effectively divided into north and south Midland by the railway. There are only 7 north-south road crossings (excluding The Roe Highway) in the Midland area. The closure of the Robinson Road crossing would have a significant impact on the Midland Road network in Bellevue, particularly for users of Clayton Street, which is becoming a ver...y busy and important road. If you think Metronet closing Robinson Road is a bad idea, you need to let your elected representatives know including: Midland Guildford Ward Councillors - [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] The reason I ask you to email me and my fellow Ward Councillors is, that as elected representatives, our influence is increased if we can demonstrate we have public support. Also contact State MLA Hon Michelle Roberts ([email protected] ), and Federal MP Ken Wyatt ([email protected]) MLCs: Tim Clifford ([email protected]) and Charles Smith ([email protected]) And of course the Planning Minister, Rita Saffiotti MLA ([email protected]) Don’t leave it to someone else. Robinson Road needs to stay OPEN. There is no valid reason to close it.

23.01.2022 Head to the Bunnings Midland sausage sizzle today and support Guildford Primary School Parents & Citizens fundraising for the 2021Year Six camp and graduation They are there till 5pm #bunnings

22.01.2022 Development WA are proposing that the City construct the $5 million Workshops Avenue through the Helena River floodplain to connect a proposed new private hospital site to the new roundabout on Lloyd Street, opposite the new Bunnings. I have not seen a traffic report that justifies this new road, but at the weekend I walked the alignment of Workshops Avenue with Cr Jennifer Catalano. We found that the alignment passes through the Helena River floodplain, and that there are f...looded gum trees upwards of a hundred years old that are habitat for endangered wildlife. No Aboriginal heritage study has been done. Surely this area must have been frequented by Aboriginal people in times gone by? Once this landscape is gone, it’s gone forever. Captain James Stirling thought this was the best part of the colony, so why not keep it as the best part? Let’s make this land into a nature reserve or a board walk. At the Council meeting on Wednesday September 30 I will be opposing the construction of Workshops Avenue. Please email your views to all Councillors, [email protected] See more

21.01.2022 Midland Market is on the move...

21.01.2022 Guildford on TV - DESTINATION WA will be screening a segment on Guildford this Sunday, 29th November at 5.30pm on Nine - to show off Guildford as a tourism dest...ination. Presenter, Nikki Parkinson will explore some of Guildford’s retail and historic sites and interviews GA President, Barbara Dundas about Guildford’s history and attractions. Funding for this promotion came about thanks to Michelle Roberts MLA - Member for Midland (& Guildford). Thanks also to the City of Swan and Tourism Western Australia for assisting the GA make this happen. Be sure to switch to Channel 9 this Sunday, and share with your family - to let them discover more about our beautiful historic town of Guildford.

20.01.2022 HAVE YOUR SAY by January 30 on a proposal to increase density to R30 within a portion of the Rosehill Waters estate

20.01.2022 Keep Robinson Road, Bellevue Open! This Saturday about 80 people representing local residents and businesses turned out to oppose the closure of Robinson Road in Bellevue. The state government wishes to close this road as part of its programme of closing at grade crossings. If this road closure goes ahead it will have a significant detrimental impact on the local road network, and impact local businesses and local residents. Well done to the Bellevue Residents and Ratepayers Association Inc for organising this meeting. The association plans to make a submission to the state government opposing this closure. It is a local road so the City of Swan Council will have to vote on this. For updates go to KEEP Robinson Rd, Bellevue OPEN

19.01.2022 SCRAP THE DAPS Unfortunately, the rebuild of the Cleanaway recycling plant in South Guildford has been approved by the Outer Metro JDAP. The JDAP panels have only 2 Councillors out of 5 members and so community representation is in the minority. The state government recently reorganised the JDAP panels to further disenfranchise local communities and as a result the hearing was held in Gosnells. This has the effect of further reducing community participation in local planning... decisions. JDAP panels are focused on securing planning outcomes and not on community representation. State government needs to restore planning decisions to local government to make these decisions more accountable. At the July 29 Council meeting Cr Claire Scanlan’s motion to recommend that the JDAP reject the application, in the interests of public health and safety and protection of the environment, was passed unanimously. This did not carry weight with the JDAP as only planning grounds are considered. I amended the Council motion to include that the details of the building permit (if the JDAP were to approve the rebuild) should be in the agenda of a future Council meeting so that the Cleanaway fire suppression system is in the public domain.

19.01.2022 I had the pleasure of seeing Anyman, a Fringe World award winning play, live on stage at Swan Christian College a couple of years back. It is a powerful production about addiction based on the Tough Love book by Shalom House founder and former Altone ward councillor Peter Lyndon-James. The play is now available to watch online.

19.01.2022 Open for comment

18.01.2022 This looks very positive!

17.01.2022 Start investing in beachfront properties in Brigadoon for your grandchildren. According to physicist Professor David Blair, that’s the kind of scenario we are heading for if no action is taken on the climate change emergency. Professor Blair, who recently won the prestigious 2020 Prime Minister’s Prize for Science for his part in the ground-breaking discovery of gravitational waves, spoke about what kind of action the City of Swan could be taking to safeguard the future for o...ur grandchildren at a special meeting of the Guildford Association on November 17. His talk included a map of what the Swan Valley could look like in 2100 if we continue to carry on as we are. He wants all levels of government to follow the science and act quickly and cooperatively - the successful response to Covid-19 shows it can be done. You can watch a recording of his very interesting talk here https://www.facebook.com/guildfordassociation/videos/658860958112622 See more

15.01.2022 Coming up this Sunday. Carols were held on Midland Oval more than 30 years ago after outgrowing the original event at Tuohy Gardens

14.01.2022 Warning - there is a tree branch down on Swan St East, just before turn-off to Fauntleroy St.

12.01.2022 Bushmead is Midland Guildford Ward’s newest suburb. Bushmead is about 90% retained bush and has great walking trails here are some photos from the walking trail that takes you past the Poison Gully train crash site. Great weather to go for a short bushwalk right on your doorstep.

11.01.2022 Protecting Guildford’s heritage requires eternal vigilance. A retrospective development application at 136 Swan Street, opposite Stirling Square, Guildford, for 6 galvanised steel security poles up to 8 metres high with 500 watt lights, pan tilt zoom (PTZ) security cameras and 100 decibel warning loudspeakers is on the agenda of the adjourned Council meeting of Wednesday 23 September. The meeting was adjourned half way through debating the third motion on this matter. The mee...ting will resume on Wednesday 30 September. You can see the security poles in the photos. The meeting has already debated a compromise motion of mine to reduce the height of the poles to 2.5 metres, to replace the lights with infrared lighting, to ensure the PTZ cameras only look onto the property, and to remove the 100 decibel loudspeakers altogether. The vote was 7/7 and was lost on the Mayor’s casting vote. Then the meeting debated Cr Andrew Kiely’s motion to reject the poles altogether. This motion was lost 8/6. Then Cr Cate McCullough, moved the officer’s recommendation to approve the poles. Cr McCullough spoke to the motion, as did Cr John McNamara. Then Cr Claire Scanlan spoke against the motion, followed by Cr Kiely, also against the motion. Whilst Cr Kiely was speaking, he said something the Mayor disapproved of which eventually led to the meeting being adjourned. You can see it here on video from the 1 hour 34 minute mark: http://webcast.swan.wa.gov.au/archive/video20-0923.php Council has not yet decided this issue. The Council meeting will resume at 5:30pm on Wednesday 30 September. You can lobby your Councillors by emailing them as a group at [email protected] You can also contact individual Councillors who have already voted to approve the poles and ask them to consider supporting the ward Councillors’ view that these poles are not supported by the Guildford Conservation Policy and that a compromise should be agreed. the Councillors to contact are: Cr John McNamara Cr Bryce Parry Cr Rod Henderson Cr Patty Jones Cr Mel Congerton Cr Kevin Bailey Cr Cate McCullough The Councillors’ public contact details can be found here: https://www.swan.wa.gov.au/Your-Cou//Meet-your-Councillors

11.01.2022 PARKING IN MIDLAND At the July 29 Council meeting (part one) Council agreed to resume paid street parking in Midland and also my amendment to request a report to Council to consider the option of changing the current one hour, or in some places half hour, free on-street parking in the Midland CBD, to two hours free. Feedback I have received indicates extending the duration of free parking to two hours will help put businesses in the older part of Midland on a more equal footing with local shopping centres that provide longer free parking. Free parking in the Midland CBD has been in place since April due to the COVID-19 pandemic, to provide economic relief, but will be reinstated from Monday, August 3, as too many people are using the streets for all-day parking, to the detriment of Midland businesses and their customers.

08.01.2022 Midland Oval is back on the agenda. The Midland community sent a clear message back in October 2019. They want to retain additional public open space in the Midland Oval Redevelopment Masterplan (MORM). ... At the August 26 meeting I have the following motion. That Council resolve to: 1) Amend the Midland Oval Master Plan to include the additional 4 lots of public open space within the envelope of the outside of the Midland Oval Velodrome as shown on the accompanying diagram. 2) Report to Council on the steps to amend the structure plan and subdivision. The reason for the motion is that the Midland community want: 1. The land within the envelope of the Midland Oval Velodrome to be retained as public open space. 2. A larger park space to support large events with social distancing, if needed. 3. The Midland Oval Redevelopment to go ahead with sufficient public open space. Please let councillors know you want more public open space for Midland. Email [email protected] and mark For the attention of all Councillors

07.01.2022 WOODBRIDGE TEMPORARY HOUSING REJECTED | At the December 16 meeting Council agreed to my motion (7/6) to: 1) Recommend refusal of the proposed Housing Development at Lots 1, 2, 3, 4 and 178 Devon Street, Woodbridge for the following reason: 2) 1. The site is reserved for Parks and Recreation and not intended for urban development and the development does not meet the requirements of Planning in Bushfire Prone Areas (SPP 3.7). (Cr Johnson - Cr Scanlan)

06.01.2022 Since opening on October 1 Recyclers for Change Midland has taken off in a big way. I was shown around last weekend by manager Sean Munslow-Davies. The mountains of containers delivered represent a huge reduction in litter and landfill. The facility has provided green bins to Woodbridge Primary School, a local gym and pubs, and is starting to collect from some function centres in the Swan Valley. It has also provided work to people who have experienced long-term unemployment, who are doing great. I took along four cans I picked up in Spring Park Road and earned 10c for each item. The delivery point is on Fairbairn Gardens, Bellevue.

05.01.2022 Do you think Council should demolish this house the City owns at 28 Keane Street, Midland? At the 29 July Council meeting it was resolved 9 /5 to demolish this house. The reasons are confidential, but the house is not confidential you can see from the street that it is boarded up, and may know that until recently it was tenanted. Right now in the Perth Metropolitan area, the rental market is the tightest it has been for 12 years with a 1.6% vacancy rate, as reported in the ...Weekend West Australian worse than at the height of the mining boom. Reportedly interstate FIFO workers are moving to Perth as they can no longer commute from outside WA. We also have people impacted by the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic who need to move to less expensive rental accommodation. Since the 29 July Council meeting a homelessness workshop was held in the Midland Town Hall, attended by representatives from all levels of government. I am hoping this gave Councillors new information that may change their decision. There is undoubtedly a shortage of rentals in Midland so why, when there is no pressing reason, would the Council vote to demolish this 3 x 1 with car port, established garden, close to all amenities including transport, schools and Midland Gate? Please contact your local Councillors or email all Councillors at [email protected].

04.01.2022 Great article by Liam Ducey in this week's Echo about my Council motion to make Tuohy Gardens a garden again. Please email Councillors at [email protected], if you agree.

02.01.2022 Have your say on this development in Loton Ave, Midland https://www.swan.wa.gov.au//Have/Planning-notices/DA660-20

02.01.2022 Special meeting of council 4.30pm today.

02.01.2022 My latest newsletter includes recruitment of the new CEO, the Midland Workshops and proposed state government changes to Heritage Lists

01.01.2022 FORMER City of Swan councillor David McDonnell has been issued a spent conviction after he was found guilty of the unlawful assault of Councillor Andrew Kiely a...t the Cale Street Festival in Midland on February 23 last year. In the Midland Magistrate’s Court on January 12, Magistrate Mark Millington placed Mr McDonnell on a $500 three-month good behaviour bond and ordered him to pay court costs. Cr Kiely, 56, and Mr McDonnell, 35, served on Council together for two years until the October 2019 local government elections, when Mr McDonnell was ousted by Cr Tanya Richardson. Cr Kiely told the court he was attending the festival as part of his duties as a Councillor. The incident occurred just after 7pm when Cr Kiely was leaving the event in company with fellow City of Swan Altone ward councillor Jennifer Catalano. He was carrying a folded-up card table in one hand. Mr Millington heard an account of events from all three, but he said in the end the best evidence was CCTV footage which had clearly captured the incident. He said the footage showed Mr McDonnell was drawing on the road with chalk, in an area set aside for that purpose along with a Silent Disco. He found that as Crs Kiely and Catalano walked by, Mr McDonnell took three steps towards Cr Kiely and made contact with his bicep or the chest area, with an open hand. Mr Millington found that immediately prior to contact Cr Kiely had his hand out, either to shake Mr McDonnell’s hand or to protect himself. Mr McDonnell walked away immediately with no stopping or greeting, then threw chalk either in the direction of, or at, Cr Kiely. After putting his Silent Disco headphones back into a box, he walked back towards Cr Kiely and gave him a light tap on the stomach. Evidence heard earlier revealed he made a derogatory comment about Cr Kiely’s weight. Mr McDonnell’s lawyer Mr Paul Holmes raised two defences, one of accident and one of honest and reasonable mistake. He said Mr McDonnell’s actions were those of a friendly greeting and jovial camaraderie similar to the way he had greeted Cr Kiely on previous occasions. He said Mr McDonnell had previously slapped Cr Kiely on the back. Cr Kiely has never said don’t do that, don’t touch me like that, I don’t like it, it’s offensive. It’s a course of conduct that has been accepted by Cr Kiely. In his evidence, Cr Kiely said there was nothing friendly about the greeting and he had been attacked in a way that shocked him. During cross examination, he said that in Council after heated debates Mr McDonnell would sometimes walk around behind him and give him a firm hit on the back. He said the back slapping had never been appreciated but he never wanted to react to it. We have been opponents on Council with respect to our decision making so I have never given him permission to go near me, he said. We have been more foes than friends with respect to our decisions. Cr Catalano said in evidence that the incident, was not friendly, this was enough to absolutely shock me. Mr McDonnell told the court he had gone over to greet Cr Kiely with a tap on the shoulder the way he had done many times before. He put his hand out to say hello to me, he was welcoming me, he said. Mr McDonnell said Cr Kiely had not liked what he was writing on the road so he had thrown him some chalk and said, feel free to write what you like. Cr Kiely denied there had been any conversation. I don’t recall what was said, I was shocked. It happened so quickly. Mr McDonnell said after throwing the chalk he went up and touched Cr Kiely on the stomach in a jovial way and made a comment about his weight. In evidence, Cr Kiely disagreed it was meant to be light-hearted. I suggest that it was said to somehow escalate the situation, to which I did not react, he said. The court heard the message Mr McDonnell wrote on the pavement was, ‘Develop Midland please’. During cross examination Mr Holmes put it to Cr Kiely that one of the matters he was opposed to was the Midland Oval Redevelopment. Cr Kiely said the significant development, the De Mol apartment building, was unanimously supported by Council including himself, but there were other aspects of the development he disagreed with. There is no oval left now and it was gifted as public open space for recreation purposes. In her evidence, Cr Catalano said she had seen ‘Stop the Guildford Nimbys’ written on the road and said she believed it referred to people, on Council and in the community, who wanted Guildford heritage saved. Police prosecutor, Senior Constable Chris Evans, asked Mr McDonnell why he didn’t just walk away instead of saying derogatory words and touching Cr Kiely’s stomach. Mr McDonnell said it was a way they would have encountered each other a number of times, having a bit of a joke. He said it was just a way of exiting and finalising the conversation. He has made contact with me, I can’t tell you for sure whether he’s made contact with my stomach, but he would have slapped me on the back and whatnot a number of times. Outgoing City of Swan Chief Executive Officer Mike Foley, whose last day is Friday January 15, gave evidence that Mr McDonnell was a tactile person who always wants to shake your hand or hug you, particularly those councillors he was friends with. He said he had never witnessed him hug Cr Kiely. Mr Foley said he himself had been on the receiving end of both hugs and back slaps. When Mr Holmes asked Mr Foley if he had ever seen his client be aggressive to Cr Kiely, Mr Foley said, yes. In explanation, he said 95-98 per cent of council items went through without debate, or little debate, but there was the occasional issue which could be very passionate. From the CEO’s point of view, all debate should occur in chamber, you should debate the item fully, once the decision has been made, we move on. Meetings are a month apart so you hope councillors will go away and have a meal and have a drink together or a laugh about what’s happened. I have seen people want to continue on after the event, it has happened a couple of times. In summing up, Mr Millington said the footage showed Mr McDonnell’s action was more than just a greeting gesture, he did not stop to talk, and the follow up throwing of the chalk was consistent with that finding. It was not isolated that event, it is continuing behaviour when you watch how he threw the chalk. He accepted it was not a vicious throw, but it was something more than just, ‘here you go, write something on the road’. Mr Kiely initially had his back turned and there was no conversation between the two and there was evidence from Mr Kiely that there was no conversation about it. The magistrate said the touching of the stomach is just not called for. I accept it is low end, but it is touching that in that circumstance, without the consent of Mr Kiely, is an assault. Mr Millington said he accepted Mr McDonnell was a tactile type of person but it is not reasonable in the circumstances. I have watched the footage, this is a unique set of circumstances. The touching was unwarranted, it falls within the definition of an assault, it was unlawful because it was not done by consent, and the defences have been negated beyond a reasonable doubt.